


You Know Who I Am

by MissFLT



Category: Star Wars, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, F/M, POV Rey, Soft Ben Solo, awkward first-time feelings, badly written action, ben solo the librarian, discussions about morality and justice and vigilantism, is rey in love with a vigilante, or is rey in love with ben solo, slowish burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22799212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissFLT/pseuds/MissFLT
Summary: Rey is a journalism student who spends all her extra time at the library, for her studies and also because of the attractive and quiet librarian, whom she may or may not have a crush on. If only she could get over her strange emotions for the vigilante making the Jakku police look very bad...
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo
Comments: 33
Kudos: 57
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing something similar to this prompt on [@Reylo_Prompts](https://twitter.com/reylo_prompts/status/1228539934522298368?s=20) ages ago and had well over 6,000 words, but I got stuck with the world-building. So, I was originally going to pray someone else did it, but then just decided to rework my piece for the prompt. I hope I make those who showed interested in it happy! Please do comment with suggestions and critiques!

It was late. Rey could hardly keep her eyes open. The sound of the television mounted in the corner of the restaurant was numbing more than it was interesting. She was just going through the motions. Accepting the same orders from the same customers, wiping down the same tables with the same towels, setting out the same cutlery and the same pepper and salt shakers, the same menus offering specials that have been around for so long they’re no longer special at all. Rey, especially today, felt just like all these random items and actions from her daily life: like nothing special.

The only way to counteract these feelings of randomness was to return to the one place she felt special: the library. When she’d first walked through its doors, she felt like dancing. Shelves upon shelves of books, the smell of paper - new and old ... she had spread out her arms as though she was dancing in the rain. She felt happy there, felt a deep connection to all those books, homeless as they were, and she felt special there. 

There was also Ben. He was the librarian. He was helpful and friendly. He was quiet. He hardly ever smiled fully with his face, but all that didn’t matter to Rey because the magic happened in his eyes. When he pushed his eyeglasses up his big hands smooshed his nose slightly. And sometimes, if Rey timed it just right, she was treated to the tip of an ear sticking out a little from his hair when he absent-mindedly hooked his fringe behind it. He was very attentive, always ready to listen to every word she said. He was so smart she felt connected to him on nearly every level. But it was his passion for the library that made her feel as special as all the books in them, and they had established a substantial friendship. 

‘Turn that up, girl!’ Rey’s thoughts about the library were disturbed by Maz’s loud voice. Rey trudged over to the television, checking the restaurant before turning up the volume and crossing her arms to watch the report.

Rose Tico looked svelte and beautiful, as always. Rey envied how put together she looked, even though she was well aware that her appearance took a lot of work. Perhaps, when she was finished with her degree, she might have a chance as a lead reporter. Tico’s sweet voice echoed through the empty room, as she stood in the cold, gusts of wind blowing her hair and scarf through the air: ‘The search for the suspect responsible for the brutal assault of a local school principal has come to an end, after the man was discovered cuffed with cable ties to the railings leading up to Jakku Police Station. Spokesperson for the station, Poe Dameron, has asked the media for time as they attempt to determine who is responsible for the capture of the suspect.

‘However, a source close to the case has claimed that none other but the infamous Kylo Ren is to take credit for the turn of events. It is said his calling card was left in the vicinity, and the city can once again be grateful to the mysterious vigilante putting his own life at risk to see justice done.’

The camera panned a little to the right so the editors could bring up a sketch of the so-called vigilante on the right. It was a poor rendering, a quick sketch done from minimal information, which could be expected because all it was was a mask. It looked like a hockey mask that was painted black.

Rose continued: ‘Kylo Ren has unofficially been given credit for the capture and subsequent arrest of several disturbing criminals in the area over the last few months. The Jakku Police have been at pains to indicate that Ren is nothing more than a nuisance and is in fact hindering their investigations, but only one suspect the hero has delivered to the police has been released following his capture, while all the others have gone on to be charged for their crimes.

‘Whatever the police might say about Kylo Ren, the popular sentiment is that he has been more successful in finding so-called elusive suspects in the last few months than the police have been in the last few years. And this is the true reason he is deemed a nuisance.’

Rose smiled, showing her dimples, as she finished, ‘For JNN, this is Rose Tico.’

The image of Kylo Ren filled the screen for a few seconds, with details of a police officer who could be contacted if anyone had any information about him. Rey couldn’t help staring at it and for the 10 seconds the station displayed it, she was only slightly aware of Maz talking in the background about those not wishing for credit being the true heroes or something. Rey’s eyes always went a little glossy when she looked at it, every time. She sometimes gaped at it in disbelief, wondering if she was the only person who knew what he - or at least his mask - really looked like.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We discover how Rey knows what Kylo Ren really looks like.

_Three months ago_

Rey’s hands gripped the railing of the stairway as she climbed the stairs from the subway. She was so tired today. She had just recovered from a bad flu, and going back to _bō_ class was probably a bad idea. She stopped to catch her breath for a second. Maz’s Castle was also too busy today, so Rey was very happy to be on her way home. 

She paused at the odd sensation of her breath echoing along the stairwell, but she realised it was someone else. It was just behind her, and the single echo suddenly split into three different breaths. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, trying to look more intimidating before turning around to face the people behind her. 

The three men were all big, but from their heavy breathing and ungainly gaits she knew they were unfit and unhealthy. Even so, this was not an ideal situation, and she knew what they wanted. Money first, food next, violence last. ‘Just leave me alone!’ she shouted, but her voice sounded a lot smaller than she intended it to be. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t faced trouble before but today she was so tired...

‘What’s the hurry, honey?’ the man on the right drawled. ‘We only want to talk’. His gaze moved from her face down her body, and she knew then the only thing on offer today was violence. She steadied herself, took out her expandable baton, and held it up in preparation.

The man giggled, a supremely odd sound from such a big person, and made his move first, ducking downwards and grabbing for her waist. She quickly sidestepped, making for the last stair and the street, twirling around to deliver a smack on his temple. He grunted as he fell, lying across the stairway. Perfect for a quick escape, she thought, as his fellows struggled to climb over his body. She turned and ran down the alley, not bothering to scream, because there was no one around at this late hour that would help her now.

The two remaining men started gaining, not because Rey underestimated them but because her chest started aching from the after effects of her sickness and she could barely breathe. She tripped over something unseen and landed on the ground, knocking her head. ‘Come on girlie’, she thought one of them said before grabbing her leg and pulling her towards them. They both had their hands on her now, feeling for anything valuable, feeling for everything, and this time she did scream, even as she tried to kick them away. One of them picked up her dropped baton and swat her belly, making her eyes water as she curled over in pain. ‘That was for me pal back there’, the man said, ‘And this…’

She didn’t hear what else he said. A dark object, almost like a giant bat, suddenly landed between her and the men. It was so wide it almost filled the alley, so tall she felt a shadow even though there wasn’t enough light, but a red glow surrounded it like a halo. She had to close her eyes now. It was too much, and there was too little air.

\---

When Rey woke, she was upright against the alley wall. She blinked a couple of times to clear her focus, before she noticed the object that knelt in her line of sight. She was scared, especially when she looked around and noticed the still bodies of the men who had attacked her. 

‘Get away!’ She grappled around the ground to get her baton, but unable to take her eyes from the mask, details around the eyes that glinted in what little light was left. A deep voice suddenly said, ‘Do not be afraid. I will not harm you.’

She stilled at the voice - it rumbled in her core - and stared before she regained her confidence enough to say, ‘How can I not be afraid? All I see is a creature in a mask’.

Whoever he was suddenly sat down and crossed his legs gracefully, tilting his head to the right. ‘I apologise for my appearance. For you, I would remove it,’ he said as he gestured to the mask, ‘but that would put you in danger.

‘And I wouldn’t want that.’

They sat in silence in the growing darkness for what seemed an eternity, giving Rey ample opportunity to study him. He was dressed all in black and it was difficult to tell if the thickness of his body was all him or if there was some kind of armour underneath his clothing. Rey flinched a little when he eventually stood up and put out a gloved hand to help her to her feet. She stared at it and then at his mask, before taking his offer. He pulled her up as though she weighed nothing. 

She wobbled a little, her head falling onto his chest. He did nothing but hold her arms to steady her as she regained her balance, but she was falling, falling into his warmth and his smell, something ... oddly familiar under the scent of battle. She looked finally up at his mask. It was custom-made, that was clear. It resembled something from some space wars movie she had seen once, but it was sleeker, and the detail was fine and applied with great attention. The black contrasted well with glistening silver lines that flowed around the eye area.

She blinked.

‘Who are you?’

His chest rumbled under her hands. A laugh. ‘You don’t watch the news?’

Rey’s eyes widened and she pushed gently away from him. ‘You’re Kylo Ren.’

‘Yes. I am.’ The rumble of his voice was doing something to her.

‘But...’

‘I know. Their artists aren’t that great’. Somehow she could sense a smirk under the helmet.

‘I thought you were an urban legend.’ Rey rubbed her head, suddenly realising her entire body was quite sore.

‘The intent is to keep it so.’ His phrase and tone suggested that he was giving Rey a secret to keep, asking her whether she would. 

She looked at him quizzically and made to reply, when he suddenly said, a frown in his voice, ‘I don’t make a habit of rescuing everyone. It would draw much attention. But...’

She could feel him looking directly at her, through that mask. ‘But, perhaps you have bewitched me.’

Rey couldn’t help but laugh at this, a light sound that echoed through the alley. Kylo Ren leaned against the wall, as though weakened a little by the happy sound. But Rey stopped, groaning. ‘My head hurts.’

‘Yes, it would. You took quite a hit to the gut, too. I’d have had to resuscitate you had you not awoken’.

Rey could feel the blush on her face at his implication. Thankfully, it was dark enough that she was confident he wouldn’t see.

He continued to stare at her in silence, and she stared back for a long while. They were sizing each other up. ‘You put up a good fight. I was ... impressed.’

Rey blushed again. ‘I would have been okay if there was only one of them.’ How long could she keep him talking, she wondered?

‘How can I thank the infamous Kylo Ren for his assistance today?’ she whispered, afraid her full voice would chase him away.

Another deep rumble came from him, and Rey realised she wanted to hear it every day. He cleared his throat and said, ‘No need for thanks. I was only doing what felt right’.

She closed her eyes. It was not disappointment, she thought to herself, but there was an unfamiliar pang in her chest. ‘Well, thank you, anyway.’ She smiled. ‘And thank you for everything else you’re doing’

‘Why?’

The timbre of his voice drove her mad. She could hardly bare to be around him any longer. ‘Because we need some hope around here.’

‘And I provide that?’ He shifted uncomfortably.

‘No. You just inspire it’.

She looked at him, intending it to be quick, intending it to be the last time, but she could not look away. She wished she could see his eyes. His face.

He finally nodded, and then turned to leave.

‘Wait!’ He only moved his head to the side to hear what she had to say. ‘What was that red glow I saw?’

She could see the odd mask in profile, and she tried to imagine the face of someone who risked his life every day but still didn’t want to exist. He looked away and then said, probably smirking, ‘I’d have to kill you if I told you.’

She didn’t know how she knew it was a joke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know your thoughts and ideas about this story! You can find me on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/MissFLT) if you'd like. Please note that I don't have a beta, so all errors and inconsistencies are inevitable!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben discuss Kylo Ren's reasons for vigilantism, but we see just how complicated Rey's feelings for both characters may be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments on the last two chapters! You guys are all amazing!

‘You’re still so sure you saw him.’ Ben spoke quietly as Rey sat with him during his break. She could see the hint of a smirk on his mouth, the one that always came at the end of their conversations about Kylo Ren. ‘I mean, you _did_ hit your head.

‘You could have imagined it all’.

Rey simply rolled her eyes and smiled. They were spending Ben’s first Saturday break in the library’s garden, which was a little overgrown and ill-maintained - like much of the city - but still pretty with flowers growing wild all around them. The pair had been through this same conversation many times since Rose Tico’s report last week and before, so many times in fact that it was a running joke between them, so she took it for the simple tease it was.

‘I’m just saying that he has to have a tragic back story,’ she whispered zealously. ‘You can’t spend huge amounts of time following the movements of criminals and bringing them to the steps of justice without something to, to...’ Rey was flailing her hands around in the air.

‘To motivate you, yeah, I know, I know your argument,’ he agreed, his eyes creasing a little in the corners. ‘But maybe he’s just doing it as some sort of power fantasy.

‘He’s just skipping the idolatry of comic heroes and going straight to the life-threatening situations’. Ben popped a strawberry in his mouth, and Rey’s eyes were drawn to it, despite her frustration with the direction of his argument. She shook herself, reddening a little after she realised she was staring at his mouth, and looked at his eyes, a smile in them as he teased her. 

‘Well, think about most comic book heroes,’ she continued, after clearing her throat.

‘Aah, so he’s a real-life comic book hero now?’ His eyes were smiling.

‘No. Yes. Maybe. Just listen.

‘I read somewhere about superheroes and other fictional heroes having a very defined sense of justice and morality because many times they have been exposed to extreme injustice. Because of the personal growth that this injustice has forced on them, they have skills that give them an advantage over regular people...’

Ben had placed another strawberry in his mouth but had stopped chewing, giving her his full attention.

’...which, combined with their trauma and their need for revenge, they recognise as pointing to a higher calling to solve the problems of the world, those that normal authority figures apparently ignore.

‘They assume this selfless responsibility as a response to the apparent lack of action on the part of the authority figures, but still take action within the confines of the rules.’

Ben had finished chewing and she watched his throat bob as he swallowed.

‘So you’re saying that your Kylo Ren is a superhero?’

‘No, silly. He's not _my_ Kylo Ren, first of all.

'And second of all, he can’t be a superhero because he has no superpowers. But basically, his vigilantism is the result of his hero complex that is the result of a tragic back story.’

Rey leaned back in her chair, satisfied that this helped prove her point. Ben wasn’t looking at her, rather digging in his lunch box for another small berry, which looked tiny in his decidedly unlibrarian-like hands. They certainly looked more calloused than they should be for a bookworm...

She tilted her head and drew her brows together, studying him. They had been sitting together during his lunch break every Saturday and Sunday for months now, chatting whenever Rey came to study and the library was quiet. 

A lot of the time they talked about Kylo Ren, but there were lots of other topics that came up. There was never an awkward silence between them but this man was still a mystery to her. What did he do when he wasn’t at the library? He was a big guy, and the way his clothing strained around his biceps was evidence enough that he worked out. But who was he really? Was he happy? Did he have a family? Did he have a pet, like did he go home and feed a goldfish? Where did he stay? Was he alone? 

Before she could stop herself, she asked, ‘Ben, do you have a tragic back story?’

Ben looked up very quickly, and she caught the glimmer of diamond-hardness in his eyes as his face paled, only for a moment, before he blinked and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief - _a handkerchief_! A soft smile spread over his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

He smooshed his glasses up his nose as he said, ‘No, I can assure you I had a completely regular upbringing. For a crazy person’. 

Rey feigned a gasp despite feeling as though she stepped across a line, and he grinned, one of those rare grins that affected Rey rather more than she would admit.

They both chuckled at his joke, but then there was just ... silence. Uncomfortable silence. _This is new_ , Rey thought. Ben smacked his hands on the table as he pushed his chair backwards and made to stand up. Rey stood up, too.

‘I have to get back.’ He heaped Rey’s choice of newspapers on top of one another, making sure not to lose any of her placeholders, adding his lunchbox as a crowning glory. ‘I’ll get these copied for you.’

He moved away quickly, and as he swept by her, his spicy, citrus-like scent fluttering around her, he asked, ‘Check you tomorrow?’

Rey laughed. ‘Who says that?’

‘I do,’ he answered.

She sat back down as she watched him leave, feeling as though she had said something wrong or pushed too far, or something. Ben was the only person who indulged her obsession with Kylo Ren. She had no idea why, although she suspected it was because he enjoyed making fun of her. 

He always diligently photocopied the newspaper articles she chose. Many of them were about the vigilante, as she intended writing her paper on how the media covered controversial characters who operated on the cusp between criminality and justice. He always added all the details so she could cite the piece easily.

Rey frowned, looking at the latest pile of copies he had done for her during the week, marked with a surprisingly delicate script. She liked his attentions. Maybe she should take more time showing an interest in him...? She knew there was something there, even though her anxiety ate away at the little growing seed of her feelings. Maybe she should give it a chance? On the other hand, she guessed he would do the same for everyone who asked him for help. It was his job after all. But this idea, that she was just one of many, left an uncomfortable hollow feeling in her chest. She decided to discard it. For now. 

When Ben’s giant form disappeared from her eyeline, Rey stared at the chair he had sat in, a strange feeling that she had missed something, was missing something, swelling around her. 

She opened her notebook filled with sketches of Kylo Ren’s mask. She could not get him out her mind. What was wrong with her? She looked again at Ben’s chair. Here is a man who is flesh and blood and good and makes her belly feel full and fluttery. She looked at a sketch of the mask surrounded by roses. Here is a man who is a ghost, who possibly has a great many secrets, who told her she bewitched him, who vibrates with dangerous energy that makes her fingers tingle at the thought of him. 

She pushed her brows together again, grabbing her pencil and absent-mindedly doodling. He sounded so sad. He had to have a tragic back story. All heroes do. Maybe he lost someone. Maybe he is seeking revenge, or wishing to atone for something. She wondered what he thought of her, and caught herself. _Why would he think of me? I am no one._

That night, Rey dreamt of Kylo Ren. Again. But this time, instead of heated dreams echoing with words rumbling deep within her, her limbs twisted in her thin sheets as she ran away from him, into Ben’s arms. But when she looked into his eyes, they were the unbreakable diamonds that flashed at her and not those of the soft and funny man she had a tenuous friendship with. She woke gasping, agonising over her silly obsession and feeling bereft, as though she had lost something precious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking your input to my last question into account, I have decided that the angst will be there, but I will try not to crank it up too high! I also have plans for some action, fluffiness, and some smut. I believe things are about to get more interesting...
> 
> My question for this week: How do you feel about keeping this fic only in Rey's POV? That is my original plan, but I do like writing Ben.
> 
> I would love to know your thoughts and ideas about this story! You can find me on [Twitter](https://www.twitter.com/missflt) if you'd like. Please note that I don't have a beta, so errors and inconsistencies are inevitable!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has Rey and Ben's relationship changed since she tried to delve into his history? Will she be able to reconcile her confusing feelings about both Ben and Kylo Ren? Has Kylo Ren continued to annoy the JPS?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the delay with this chapter. I was going through some stuff and just needed to clear my head. Thank you to all of you who kudoed and commented! I promise to get to all your comments soon! You are all amazeballs!
> 
> I hope you like what happens in this chapter! Please remember I don't have a beta so all errors and inconsistencies are my own. Enjoy!

It had been two weeks since Rey’s befuddling conversation with Ben, the conversation that had stirred her up like a cake mix. She hadn’t asked Ben about his past again, nor had she discussed her theory about Kylo Ren’s possible dark past. They had still spoken about him, and theorised about his motivations considering the kind of criminals that he dealt with.

It had been a few weeks without any news about Kylo Ren’s exploits. The news reports were trying to eke out as much excitement as they could, despite only having rumours and reported sightings to work with, along with updates of the case against the most recent criminal to land up on the JPS’s doorstep.

Rey had worried that her misstep when asking about Ben’s past might have ruined what she had slowly been building with him, but her relief that it wasn’t so was palpable. He was still great to be around; he was funny and jumped on any of their discussions with fervour. They had even started to talk about more personal things, small things about their childhoods, but no big admissions yet. It made her feel ... happy. Happy to be close to someone. But Rey could feel he was distracted, and he looked exhausted on Sunday.

It was only Tuesday now, and Rey was also tired. Her evening classes were wearing on her, she’d been spending most of her nights tossing and turning in bed at night, Maz’s Castle had been wild with Rey on her feet for most of the day, and she had been distracted thinking of the special project she was working on. It was also her night to close up the restaurant, which meant a little extra work making sure the windows were closed, lights and stoves and ovens were off, tidying up the tabletops and cashing up. There was a sudden rumble of thunder and she sighed audibly.

 _I forgot my umbrella_ , she thought. _Oh, well, the jacket will have to do..._ It was an old one, but it was thick and might do the trick. She locked up, squinting at the sky and hoping it would delay pouring down on her for just a little while. She held the lapels of her jacket closer and padded along the pavement. She hoped the subway was that sweet spot between quiet enough for her to go unnoticed but busy enough that no one would try anything. 

She was lucky tonight. There were a few people milling about. Better than Saturday nights when the flickering of the overhead lights became ominous instead of a sign of poor maintenance. She was also just in time, and didn’t have to wait long for the car to come. It was empty, but Rey wasn’t worried about that. She’d worry when she had to.

She was so tired that the gentle rocking of the car on the rails made her doze a little, but when the lights went out she woke. Was she at the tunnel already? Rey looked around the car with wide eyes. She stood to look through the door to the next car, which was still alight, and spotted a dark shape in her periphery. She spun, placing her hand on her baton.

A chuckle, and the dark shape suddenly expanded.

‘Who are you?’ Rey spread her legs to balance herself in readiness.

‘My friend, why are you so very nervous?’

She squinted her eyes, trying to determine why this person’s girth was familiar to her, but only when the curves on his mask glinted in the light of a passing station did she relax.

‘Kylo Ren...’ she breathed.

‘Indeed it is, and I apologise. I did not intend to frighten you so’, he intoned.

Rey slumped onto her seat and laughed quietly. ‘Yeah, well a chuckling shadow in the darkness can do that to you.’

‘I am aware. But it’s necessary.’

Rey looked at him sharply. ‘Why are you here?’

She saw the mask shift in the darkness, and another moment of light revealed it looking down to the floor in contemplation.

‘I...’ He cleared his throat. ‘I had wanted to see you once again’.

Rey couldn’t tell if the sudden pressure she felt was in the car itself or just in her. She leaned herself on her knees. ‘Why would you want to do that?’

He stood up suddenly. She couldn’t help sitting up sharply at his movement, and couldn’t help the goose flesh rising on her arms as she watched him walk towards her and sit across from her. She felt as though she was living in one of her dreams. She nearly looked around to see if Ben was there.

He was the epitome of confidence as he leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head and crossed one leg over the other.

She felt his smile as he said, ‘We are friends are we not? Besides, I had...

Still stiff as a board, she interrupted him. ‘Is ‘friendship’ the payment for saving my life?’

He dropped his leg and arms and leaned forward on his knees this time, echoing her earlier movements.

‘Is that really how you think of me?’

Rey swallowed. She found she couldn’t answer him. She didn’t want her voice to crack when she told him how she really thought of him.

He waved his gloved hand. ‘No matter. I merely wish to thank you.’

She braved the croak. ‘For what?’

‘For your discretion, keeping it secret.’ He sighed. ‘It was selfish of me to interfere.

‘But you were so ... I simply had to help. I put you in danger and if you told, the danger would be very real for you.

‘I wouldn’t be able to live with it if I were to cause any pain to you.’

Rey closed her eyes. _Why does this man affect me so?_ She heard him stand and opened her eyes to do the same. ‘Your stop approaches.’

In the darkness, she felt his heat, and it became her own. She stared at the point of the mask that hid his eyes and he continued to look down at her. She did not expect the station light to be so bright, nor did she remember the train stopped so fast, and she fell into him again, like she did on that first night. He held her arms again, firmly this time because of their momentum, and she heard his voice through his chest. ‘You should go.’

She pulled away, the scent of him that was so familiar to her whirling around her like a kite line. He walked her to the door, holding the button to keep it open. As she stepped over the threshold, she turned to look at him. His head was tilted, and just before the signal bell started, she heard him loudly say, ‘You’re always falling into me aren’t you? 'I hope it's on purpose, my lady.’

She watched the doors shut and the train move away, a smile playing on her face. The light in the car came on again, but there was no one there.

\---

Rey walked home in the rain that night, feeling dazed and strange, as though she’d just emerged from a dream. She was sopping wet when she arrived home, but seeing him had inspired her work on her project. She had a spot to add. Of course, it left her sniffling and sneezing for the next few days.

On Friday morning, Rey was excited and couldn’t wait for the weekend: she thought her project was complete, and she hardly questioned her eagerness at wanting Ben to be the first person to see it. The thought was exciting, but this week the anxious tension that surrounded her when she was about to see him was different: more intense, and also more confused.

Their easy companionship over the last week or two went a long way to dispel that diamond stare that still haunted her dreams. She knew now that she had to have imagined it, because Ben’s hazel eyes were soft and warm and understanding, even behind the glint of his glasses.

She was musing over Ben’s eyes when the words ‘believed to be Kylo Ren’ pulled her back to reality, and she ran to the television, nearly tripping over a lady’s handbag, to turn the report louder. She heard one or two people groan about the news, but most people had also stopped what they were doing to hear the latest news on the city’s favourite ghost. Rey looked around in awe at all the rapt faces, and felt a bit of pride in the person who had saved her life, that he could inspire so much interest from strangers.

Rose Tico’s voice echoed through the quiet room. Her tone was melancholy and concerned, and she warned her viewers that the footage about to be broadcast may be disturbing to sensitive viewers. That got the attention of the more cynical crew. Then there was a collective gasp at the poor CCTV footage that was displayed and Rey’s heart stopped: it _was_ Kylo Ren! And she was the only one who knew for certain it was true.

There were two masked men in the footage, but though the detail was grainy and lacking colour, Rey would recognise that shape anywhere: his width, his height, the mask. He was fighting someone, and the scene was lit up by an eerie glow from what looked like a glow stick lying on the ground. He fought without effort, his movements deliberate and controlled. Many patrons had gathered closer to the small television screen to get a closer look, and gasps surrounded Rey as a second masked man appeared from behind him, throwing his arms around Ren’s neck and tightening. Ren tugged the man upwards, using his height and the man’s weight to throw him, but the distraction was enough for a third man to appear in the scene, who struck a blow to Kylo Ren’s exposed back, right where his kidney would be. He was caught off guard and, unable to block the blow, doubled over. Another blow struck Ren across the face and he fell backwards out of the picture before the assailants grabbed his legs and dragged him back into the picture then then out of the alleyway.

‘The man being dragged away at the end of the disturbing footage had foiled a theft by the three other masked men,’ Tico stated matter-of-factly as the screen was filled with her face.

‘Further details cannot be revealed as to the location of the scene, but the source, who leaked the footage, claimed the man had managed to defend the entrance to the mark for quite some time before he was dragged away, and gave those inside the mark time to contact police.

‘The source claims the defender was none other than Kylo Ren, who was taken away in a white van and whose whereabouts are currently unknown.’

The entire restaurant was awestruck; the silence was palpable, like a living thing. Rey could feel the tension snap as people started talking all at once, asking each other questions, making comments on what had taken place. But Rey couldn’t take her eyes off the screen, even though an advert for some energy drink was rolling. This was proof that she was not imagining a man rescuing her. But it was also proof that the man had been injured, and she found that her heart felt as though it would burst.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Rey was practically bursting out of her skin to see Ben. But when she arrived at the library, he wasn’t there. Miss Netal, the substitute librarian whom Rey had only met once before, said with an attractive sneer on her bright red lips that he had failed to come in on Friday, as well, and she was called in as a last resort.

What am I going to do with myself this weekend without Ben? Rey asked herself as she stood with her forehead on her hands at the counter. She looked around the library and felt a strange sense of having missed something.

She didn’t want to delve further into how much she was becoming dependent on him being in her life. Nor into just how worried she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know what everyone thought about this chapter! Please comment or hit me up on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/missflt). 
> 
> I have thought about your suggestions about POV into account, and plan to have something special for those who want a Ben Solo POV soon.


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